Arrowverse Corrections: Arrow Edition
by changingdestiny40
Summary: This will be a collection of one shots that attempt to correct the many problems "Arrow" has faced during certain scenes, from the way characters have been written to some of the writing itself.
1. Chapter 1

**As we know, the Arrowverse has suffered from many problems over the years in the form of bad writing and character assassinations. Both myself and some of my fellow colleagues have written dose of reality type works for some of that in order to either call out and/or give consequences to a character for wrongdoing or being idiots.**

**This time though, I'd like to do something different and it involves correcting the writing mistakes by either having certain characters behave themselves or rewriting certain parts some fans had problems with. And so this will be a series of one shots for that purpose but they won't be in canonical order. I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Arrow".**

_Correction 1: Season 8 Episode 10 entitled "My Name Is Emiko Queen"_

Lyla had walked out of the interrogation room after her talk with Diaz, and regrettably enough the villain was refusing to talk except to give her lip. She was now discussing with her husband Dig their next steps when they were confronted by Deputy Director Bell, who was mildly berating them about some of their actions. During that discussion, Diggle suddenly came up with an interesting idea that he was about to voice but then paused, knowing that doing it now and the way he intended to go about it would've been inappropriate. And so he waited until Bell had left before politely pulling his wife aside.

"What's up Johnny?", she asked him, curious as to what was on his mind. Diggle took a deep breath, and then answered.

"Listen honey. Despite what we've been doing so far, we're not really getting anywhere in our attempts to catch Dante, and of course Diaz here is refusing to cooperate", he started. "Therefore, I think we should take more extreme measures in our endeavor".

Lyla regarded him curiously.

"What do you have in mind?", she asked him with raised eyebrows.

"What if we were to restart the Ghost Initiative and deploy new squad members out onto the field in order to help locate Diaz?", he asked her, having run out of other options in his mind but wanting to pass it by his wife first, respecting her as the director and his superior. As for her, she responded with wide eyes.

"You want to do what!?", she exclaimed, not believing what she was hearing and especially since her husband had been vehemently against that project when he'd first heard of it years ago. Dig wasn't surprised by her reaction, having expected it, and tried to explain.

"Listen, I know it's not the best idea and I know I was against it, but maybe it could work this time and then we could dismantle it afterwards", he explained to her. "It was only a thought and I will follow whatever lead you want. I just wanted to put that option out there."

Lyla listened, frowning, and then shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think this is a good idea", she answered and then explained". "As director of this agency, I want to do things differently from the way Waller did them and while I now understand some of her decisions after having been in my current position and even supporting a few of them, I still want to be better than her and doing what you're suggesting would be a step backwards.

"You see Johnny, the Ghost Protocol was a severe violation of human rights, namely in regards to planting bombs inside of our prisoners heads, and that's something we'd have to do if we were to restart that program. Plus if we did that and then grew comfortable with it, then it might also cause us to cross more and more lines until we end and this agency end up down a dark path and become no better than Waller, not to mention that this project might not even succeed in catching Dante and something could go wrong. Is that really what you want?"

Diggle looked down and sighed, knowing that his wife was right.

"You're right, and about all of it. And no, I don't want any of that to happen and it definitely was a bad idea", he answered with remorse for even suggesting something like this. "We both want this agency to be a force for good and reinstating any of Waller's darker programs is not the way to go. I was just frustrated that we didn't have any real leads in Dante and therefore wasn't thinking straight. I'm truly sorry."

Lyla smiled at him and reached forward to gently grasp his forearm.

"I know, and it's alright. I know you meant well and were only trying to help. I'm glad you understand though on why it was a terrible idea but just to be clear, my answer is no. But don't worry, we will find another way to achieve our mission. Alright Johnny?"

"Of course honey, and thanks for talking some sense into me and I do trust your judgment", Diggle answered while returning his wife's smile, completely in agreement with her, and there was no more talk about reinstating the Ghost Initiative, also known as the Suicide Squad. Instead they went on to discuss other ways to locate Dante while refusing to let up on Diaz until he gave them the answers they were looking for.

**A/N Diggle in season 7 really disrespected his wife and undermined her authority, and in front of deputy director no less, by suggesting that the Squad be restarted despite her wishes. I personally enjoyed seeing the Squad back in action but what Dig did was still wrong. Therefore I corrected it with him showing his wife the proper respect, starting with waiting until Bell had left before voicing his idea, and then making the suggestion in a respectful fashion while deferring to his wife's judgment, allowing the two of them to discuss the matter in a calm, mature fashion and why it was a bad idea.**

**And now let's go to the next chapter for the next correction.**


	2. Chapter 2

_Correction 2: Season 6 Episode 9 entitled "Irreconcilable Differences"_

When Oliver and Diggle arrived back at the Arrow Cave, they saw that Felicity was waiting for them, a concerned expression written on her face, causing the two men to frown.

"What's up Felicity?", Oliver asked her, concerned as to what was going on. Felicity bit her lip nervously, working up the nerve to explain her thoughts to him.

"Well Oliver, I've been noticing that something might be up in regards to Rene and Dinah. I don't know what's up with Rene other than him appearing to act not like himself while seeming to do things that just don't add up. Plus he seemed to be walking around here in our base but not in a usual way. Instead it was almost as though he was paying extra attention to things here while behaving almost nervously. I could be wrong but it's just a gut feeling of mine.

"As for Dinah, she's also started to act a bit off and also seeming to be a bit shady. I was suspicious about it but brushed it off. Tonight however when I went over to my favorite Gelato Ice Cream parlor to order some ice cream to eat with my saved slice of wedding cake before going to bed, I happened to notice her nearby and standing with her ex-boyfriend Vince, who as we know, is our out of control enemy Vigilante. And based upon their body language, it looks like they might've gotten back together.

"I'm worried though that something like this might compromise our team and so I used my phone to take a picture of them in order to show it to you guys". And on that note, Felicity took out her phone and showed the image to both Oliver and Diggle, to which they responded with concerned expressions.

"You're right Felicity" Oliver agreed with her. "I personally hadn't noticed anything but after what you've just told and showed me, something doesn't add up and we could have a problem". What do you have in mind as to how we should proceed?"

Felicity had already thought of something but wanted to run it by him first and that's why she waited.

"What I was thinking is that we should put them, and Curtis as well but only as a precaution, on surveillance but only temporarily", she explained. "At first I was going to go ahead and do it myself but we're supposed to work as a team and there is a chain of command that all of us need to follow. And so as leader of this team, I'd like to enquire if you think putting the rest of the team under surveillance is a good idea."

Oliver thought it over while Diggle offered his own imput.

"You know it could just be a good idea, but only temporarily as Felicity said until we know more. And you know we can't afford to have our team compromised once more", the other man said to him, arms folded. Oliver knew that Diggle was right and so addressed Felicity.

"Both you and Diggle are right and I appreciate you coming to me first and asking about this. Very well, you may place the rest of our team under surveillance as a precaution and then we'll proceed from there", he said to her, knowing that they needed to get on top of this as soon as possible. Felicity went on to do just that and they'd later discover that Dinah had been spending a lot of time with Vince while Rene had been, to their shock, working with the F.B.I. against them for quite a long while.

When they confronted them, Rene, Dinah, and Curtis were all angry with them and accused them of violating their privacy, though Rene also explained that he'd been blackmailed by Agent Watson into handing the team to her on a silver platter.

Needless to say, everyone was upset with Rene but understood that he was in an impossible position while sympathizing with him. As for Dinah, she admitted that she was back with Vince but did her best to reassure everyone else that she had not shared with him anything whatsoever, sensitive or otherwise, about their team operations. Oliver accepted that but firmly told her that he'd be keeping an eye on her just in case, and she accepted that.

As for Rene, Oliver made some calls to Lyla and the president and with their help, managed to get Watson to back off.

Rene was grateful for the help but he, Dinah, and Curtis were still angry about the surveillance and took some time away from the rest of the team, causing the friendships to be strained. They all reconciled eventually and continued their work of protecting the city, and even possibly saved Vince's life when he was in severe trouble, instead of something like getting into a civil war against each other.

**A/N The reason I corrected that episode a bit was because while the surveillance was necessary since Rene and Dinah were compromised and Felicity's intentions were pure, she still violated the chain of command because she initiated the surveillance on her own accord and authority instead of consulting with Oliver and asking for his permission.**

**Therefore I wanted to fix that by having her ask him for permission first instead of doing it on her own and then telling Oliver and Diggle after the fact. That was wrong and as Oliver rightfully told Rene, there's a chain of command they need to follow.**

**As for the civil war aspect, and while it wasn't my original intent to include it until much later, not everyone was happy about that arc, particularly in regards to the Outsiders actions, and so if Vince is not dead then none of that happens.**

**The next correction involves Thea and Malcolm.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Correction 3 Season 2 Episode 23 entitled "Unthinkable"_

Malcolm smiled broadly when he saw Thea approaching him, his limo waiting to go while his driver awaited his orders.

"So my daughter, I see you've come to your senses and decided take me up on my offer", he grinned at her. "And it's so good to see you well". Thea on her part responded by staring right at him, arms folded.

"Actually, I've come to tell you that I won't be going with you and that's final", she replied firmly and with a resolute expression on her face. Malcolm's grin turned to a frown.

"What do you mean you're not coming with me!?", he demanded to know, highly displeased that this was not going according to plan. "Your mother is dead, you've found at that your own brother and boyfriend have been lying to you all of this time. There's really nothing left for you here and coming with me would be in your best interests Thea. You know that."

Thea looked at him with an "Oh really?" expression.

"If you think I'm going to go anywhere with you then you are completely delusional. You sabotaged the _Gambit _and killed my father, my real father, regardless of the blood connection between you and me. You murdered many innocent people and slaughtered hundreds in your sick Undertaking and with the intent to kill even more. Your actions even caused the death of your own son, my half-brother. You are a disgrace, a sorry excuse of a human being, and are not worthy of being being anyone's father", Thea hissed at him, then continued.

"And for the record, while I'm mad about Oliver and Roy not telling me the truth about you and working with the Arrow respectively, at least neither of them are mass murderers and Roy, unlike you, is actually doing something to help this city. Plus I can't really blame Roy for keeping it from me since I did not have the best reaction at the time.

"As for you, I do not want to have anything to do with you, you are not my real father and never will be and while I'm very grateful for you saving my life, I demand that you return to wherever you were this whole time and never contact me again. And if you do try and contact me, I'll contact both Oliver and the Arrow and let them deal with you and the only reason I'm not doing so is out of courtesy since you rescued me from Slade's thugs. Now go away and never return."

Malcolm was frustrated, but complied and turned to get into his limo but not before calling out to her.

"You're making a mistake Thea", he almost yelled before climbing inside then having his driver take them away while Thea watched him go.

"I don't think so", she said to herself, and then returned back to her true home and decided to work things out with Roy, albeit after mildly giving him the business over keeping his secret from her but also apologized to him over how she handled it when she first learned about it.

Malcolm still had plans though, and he'd later attempt to murder Sara Lance, who was in town to track him, but thankfully she was able to duck and the arrow only stabbed her side. She made her way to Oliver and received help from him, and Thea happened to be standing there and also helped Sara out as best she could. After hearing the description of the arrow used on Sara, Thea immediately told her and Oliver about Malcolm still being alive which Sara also confirmed. Oliver was unhappy about Thea keeping this from him but understood since Malcolm had rescued her from a threat.

Around this time Thea also found out about Oliver being the Arrow but was not angry, instead being very proud of him for everything he'd done for his city.

As for Malcolm, Oliver, Sara, and Nyssa, who'd arrived to assist, tracked down and located him in an abandoned building and after a lengthy battle, overpowered and then killed him.

With that over, Oliver and Sara realized they still had feelings for each other and, with Nyssa's blessing, restarted their romantic relationship while Nyssa also realized that she not only still had feelings for Sara but also had developed feelings for Oliver, and they came together in a committed, polyamorous relationship between the three of them.

As for Thea, she still had the desire to be strong and asked for them, Laurel, and Roy to train her, a request they gladly excepted while Oliver, Sara, Nyssa, Laurel, and Roy each took turns training her. She excelled in their teachings and she knew that they, and not Malcolm, were her true family and always would be.

**A/N To me, Thea behaved in a completely wrong fashion and crossed a very serious line when she went away with Malcolm and sided with him over her own brother and boyfriend. Plus, to me, what she did was so much worse than what daughter did by joining Thawne, and for so many reasons. This chapter is my correction of that route season 3 took.**

**As for Oliver/Sara/Nyssa, I added them since I ship that pairing.**

**I'll try to have a correction chapter once a day if I can and please feel free to send me any requests or ideas for an "Arrow" correction and I'll think about it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**And I'm back and to make up for my absence there will be two new chapters added to this. I also apologize since I wanted to have them ready and posted sooner. I hope everyone will like them.**

_Correction 4: Season 2 Episode 3 Entitled "Broken Dolls" And Onward_

Laurel sat on her sofa that night, staring at the bottles of alcohol and pills standing beside one another on the small table before her. It had been a trying evening for her after her and her father's ordeal with the murderous Dollmaker and shortly after that she'd come to the realization that, as far as she was concerned, she was truly responsible for Tommy's death.

Granted it was his insane and murderous father that had destroyed a part of the Glades due to his twisted desire for revenge but she had chosen to stay over there which prompted Tommy to need to go and rescue her and which, in turn, led to his death. And yet she'd blamed the Hood for it and had shown him nothing but cruel hatred.

As she continued looking at the pills and wine before her, which she'd brought out earlier to deal with her pain and grief, she continued to think about how easy it would be to just drown herself into oblivion with booze and drugs, if only for a little while. With that said, she moved her hand towards the pill bottle, ready to forget everything.

All of a sudden, she stopped, thinking. What the he** was she doing? Was this really the answer to her problems and would it truly solve anything? She was a smart woman da** it and knew full well the consequences of those who engaged in this type of destructive behavior. He**, she'd seen it from her father and Thea especially and how the latter at 17 had nearly ruined her life with it. She was the one who'd even helped Thea overcome this addiction and reshape her destructive path. What kind of example would she be setting for her if she decided to engage in the same type of behavior and what kind of hypocrisy would this be?

And Tommy. Poor Tommy. What would he think of her if he could see her right now? In fact, what if he was watching her right at this moment from wherever he was in the afterlife? That particular thought filled her with a shudder. Not only that, but would she really be honoring his memory this way? And her heart also broke at how her father and especially Oliver could see her right now, about to do what she'd been planning.

Making up her mind, she immediately took the pills and bottle of wine, marched right into the kitchen and then stood next to the sink as she poured everything down the drain, first the pills, and then the alcohol, silently berating herself as to how foolish she'd been and what she nearly allowed herself to do, extremely thankful that she'd pulled herself from the brink.

Instead she went out that night and ordered some Big Belly Burger alongside a platter of chilly cheese fries with plenty of ketchup and a black and white milkshake, took it home, and drowned herself in that instead. Granted it wasn't the healthiest choice but definitely a far cry from pills and booze.

In the days that followed, she would eventually go to grief counseling with her father and receive the emotional support she needed to help let go of the guilt while leaning more closely onto her loved ones instead of pushing them away and Thea would also do everything she could to help and be there for her just as she'd helped her before, and Laurel knew that everything was going to be alright, even when things went to hell when Slade and Blood nearly destroyed the city, as long as she made the right choices and kept her family close to her.

**A/N I personally think, for now, that S2 was the best season of "Arrow". However, I also believe that the substance abuse storyline they gave to Laurel in it was a serious mistake from a writing standpoint and character assassinated her. This chapter rectifies that mistake.**

**Now onto the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

_Correction 5: Season 3 Episode 20 Entitled "The Fallen"_

Ra's A'l Ghul was stunned at what that insolent blond had just said to him, demanding that bow to her whims and free Oliver Queen as though she was the true Ra's A'l Ghul. He suddenly wondered if there was some truth to the western saying about blonds being dumb. Well he was Ra's, not her, and was not going to let this insolence stand. Faster than lighting he grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall as Maseo and the other assassins watched.

"You dare think that you can command me!? That you have the authority to tell me what I can and cannot do!?", he demanded as he continued to suffocate her tightly, Felicity choking and almost gasping as she remained pinned to the wall and looking into his eyes with great fear .

"I am Ra's A'l Ghul, supreme master of the League Of Assassins and the ome who has the final say around here and I will not allow you to disrespect me inside of my own home and right next to my men. In fact for that reason alone I should strike you down for it and am sorely tempted to do so. However I will let you live but am only sparing you since you are Oliver's beloved and I wish to avoid any unnecessary problems with him.

"However, and as a reminder for you to never cross me again", he said to her and then taking out his double bladed sword, he brought it up faster than the eye could see and quickly slashed the side of her face, creating an ugly gash which drew a river of crimson blood while causing Felicity to scream, though not loudly, and clutch the wound with her hand while also coughing violently after being freed from the chokehold.

"And now when you look in the mirror every day you will see this scar and I hope it will be a constant reminder of tonight's events and that it will discourage you from any more foolish stunts like this. Now get out of my sight! He growled and she quickly hurried out of there. Ra's then turned to Maseo and the others.

"And let that be a lesson for anyone else here who would dare to defy me, but that unlike her, it will cost you your lives. Is that understood!?"

The other League members gave their assent and then Ra's walked away while this event would be something that all of them would never, ever, forget.

**A/N I hadn't had any problem with this scene originally when I'd first watched it years ago and onwards, but one day another author here, maybe LycoX or Arlyss Tolero though I can't remember, wrote an alternate ending in which Ra's killed her for it instead of allowing it and giving her comforting words.**

**And today I understand that it actually makes sense because this is Ra's A'l Ghul we're talking about and more than likely he's not going to let someone be so disrespectful to him and especially in front of his own men since it could inspire rebellion from them or, as the other author pointed out, inside of his own home. **

**I decided not to have him kill Felicity because even if she'd been given consequences for it, I think she'd be allowed to live due to plot armor. Instead I think the show might have done something more like this if Ra's disciplined her. Let's also assume within this chapter's universe that Felicity won't drug then try to smuggle Oliver away so as not to incur Ra's wrath further.**

**Until next time.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone. I've decided to revisit this series of mine and add a new chapter after being away from it for so long. And I hope you'll like it.**

**_LycoX_****: Thanks very much for liking chapters 3 and 4, and good to know on the former being your favorite and gotcha on being the one to write the Ra's and Felicity story.**

**_Naitch03_****: Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and I fully understand what you're saying and where you're coming from. And your words about Thea's emotions and mentality make sense. However even being lied to doesn't justify knowingly associating one's self with a monster and so what she did was a betrayal and, in my personal opinion, worse than what they did since lying and keeping secrets, which can be a terrible thing in and of itself depending upon the circumstances, is a far cry from aligning with a murderer.**

**Plus while Thea had a right to her emotions and Oliver's and Roy's way of handling their secrets with her was perhaps not the best way to go about it, she could've gone to Laurel, Walter, or Sin for support. Anyone but Malcolm even if she did not want to be around her brother and boyfriend. And if she wanted to become strong, she could've taken self-defense classes or, if she had gone to Laurel for comfort but Sara still died, then Laurel might've taken Thea as a partner to train with Ted. I still however understand and respect your opinions.**

**_9024multiverse_****: Thanks, and for the ideas as well. I'll have to respectfully disagree in regards to Diaz since, due to his association with the Ninth Circle, I suspect he might've been trained by Dante, who showed himself to be tremendously skilled in my opinion. And maybe that's why he could be on par with Oliver. Plus I suspect it's possible that there were others besides the League, Talia's academy, and the Circle who trained their students in League type skills and so Diaz might've gone to one of them. However not having background regarding that was definitely a plot hole and bad writing, and I understand and respect your opinion. **

**Thanks for the second idea though. It makes sense. Not for this chapter since after thinking on it have decided to do something else. But I accept and will use it someday.**

_Correction 6: Season 5 Episode 15 Entitled "Fighting Fire With Fire_

Following the mission to clear Diggle's name and bring the corrupt general who framed him to justice, Felicity was currently standing in a dark alley and waiting for Alana, her contact from the cyber hacktivist organization Helix, the group who had helped her clear Diggle's name, while twiddling with her hands. Following Alana's offer to join Helix full time, Felicity had been thinking about it and was considering joining them, but then decided to do due diligence first and research the group to see what they were about.

Having done so while being extra thorough in her research, she made her decision and was ready to give Alana her answer and why. As she waited, the other woman came up to her from behind, calling out her name in a somewhat loud and abrupt whisper and totally startling her while letting out a quick "Hi" to the young woman. Following said pleasantries, Alana began speaking.

"I am so glad you got in touch, though I am, a little surprised?", she began warmly and happily and finished with mild confusion, not having expected for Felicity to reach out to her once more but hoping this meant she was going to accept her offer, inwardly excited that the blonde might be coming to work with her.

"Yeah, me to. Well, surprised isn't, actually, the right word to describe how I am, um, feeling", Felicity replied somewhat nervously, trying not to fall into her usual tendency of babbling, while working to get her thoughts organized as she prepared herself for what she was about to say. Alana looked at her curiously.

"Hmm, what's the right word?", the other woman asked her, intrigued as to her thoughts. Felicity then took a deep breath in response and then finally gave her answer.

"After contemplating your offer, I've decided that I will be, declining your offer to come work for Helix", she said to her, totally shocking Alana and leaving her very disappointed. Felicity then continued.

"You see, at first I was considering accepting, but then I decided to do some homework on the type of work you guys do and well, um, let's just say that I'm not a fan. You see, what you guys are doing is cyberterrorism and high treason and frankly I'm not going to be a part of that.

"I used to be a hacktivist back in college and thought I was doing good, but I created an advanced and destructive hacking device and foolishly gave it to my then boyfriend who, a few years ago, used it to unleash great destruction upon this city and all because of my recklessness in creating said device and not thinking about the potential consequences of it.

"Currently however, and at this point of my life, I've decided not to continue to repeat those kinds of decisions and joining you guys would be doing exactly that. And maybe Helix was founded as a force for good and maybe you have done a lot of good in the past, besides helping Diggle and exposing a guilty man like that corrupt general, but with what you're doing now, particular in regards to how you're going about it, I'm sorry to say but your group is practically a cyberterrorist organization at this point, plain and simple.

"Furthermore, during my research, I learned that Helix has done certain things such as breaching the security of a certain government agency and possibly exposing some of their agents, not to mention moving Homeland Security drones from time to time, both of which are huge violations of National Security. And I'm sorry but I'm not going to help you commit treason and risk the lives of innocent people, even if one of those operations involve exposing a corrupt company or taking down a cartel network. And frankly I think Helix qualifies for the saying that the road to Hell is paved with good intensions.

"While I'll always be deeply grateful for helping me and the rest of Team Arrow exonerate Diggle, I'm not going to ever join your organization and for the reasons I just listed. In fact, a friend of mine told me that you should not fight fire with fire or you'd get burned and frankly, I'd prefer not to get burned. And I would also request that you never contact me again unless you see the error or your ways and leave the group. And if you do, I will report you and Helix to certain friends of mine who are connected to the government and who would love to have all in their custody. Am I clear?"

Alana, not having expected any of this, was very upset and put out upon hearing all of this and highly disappointed on not getting to work with her idol.

"Well then, sorry to have given you such an offer then and after we put our necks out to help you but fine. We'll leave you be and respect your demand", she snippily answered the blonde tech expert, and then continued. "Just know that this will be the first and last time for help and don't come crying to us for any future assistance."

And then with a huff, Alana turned on her heel and walked away while Felicity sighed to herself, positive she'd made the right decision.

Sometime in the future though, Alana would come to realize the error of her ways and leave Helix, realizing that she did not want to be a cyberterrorist and out of control hacktivist anymore, repenting, and turned herself into ARGUS, who after some jail time, let her off on a plea deal in exchange for turning Helix over to them, which she accepted. And she and Felicity would go to become good friends and use their spare time to work and prevent others, especially foolish youths, from taking the wrong oath and becoming cyberterrorists while showing them how they can better use their tech skills to help people.

**A/N While I do understand why Felicity joined Helix and perhaps believed she could make a positive difference on a global scale, what she did was ultimately wrong since Helix, despite its good intentions, is clearly a cyberterrorist organization and have crossed some severe limes. And I would not be surprised if they've moved Homeland Security's drones in the past or other stuff that violated National Security.**

**And while this is my opinion, I can see Alana reacting like this if Felicity had rejected her offer. But I gave her redemption here since I do like her character and she did eventually leave Helix and started working for the right people instead.**

**For this chapter though, this Felicity makes the right decision in the very beginning and won't be committing treason this time around.**


	7. Chapter 7

_Correction 7: Season 6 Episode 22 Entitled "The Ties That Bind"_

"So far Ricardo Diaz has been unstoppable. He has aligned himself with the most powerful criminal organization in the country. He controls Star City's government, its infrastructure, and its police force. I can't stop him on my own", Oliver explained to the person sitting across from him, the former's arms folded as he stood before her and feeling resigned. "I should've come to you sooner, and I know that street crime and corruption is not within your purview, but I'd really appreciate your help to stop Diaz and free my city."

Lyla Michaels, the director of A.R.G.U.S, wife of his friend and fellow team member John Diggle, and one of his closest friends, gazed at him with sympathy and understanding.

"Actually Oliver, I've been following what's been happening within your city and I honestly wish either you or Johnny had come to me sooner", she replied to him and then stood up from her seat behind her desk and moved to stand in front of her friend. "And yes, while it's true that regular criminal organizations and citywide corruption aren't normally within A.R.G.U.S's purview or a true concern for National Security, Diaz is different in this case."

Oliver's eyebrows raised up in response.

"What do you mean?", he asked her curiously, wondering as to what the exception was while feeling hope in his chest. Lyla pressed her lips together while taking a breath.

"As Diaz was gathering power throughout your city and cementing his stranglehold over it while your conflict with him intensified, I had directed for an extra thorough investigation into him and all of his activities in order to find something to aid you in your war against him", she explained to him. "And I managed to uncover that he has ties to an immensely powerful, well connected, and international terrorist organization known as the Ninth Circle, led by the elusive Dante, and it has been operating for centuries.

"From what we've learned, his network has been behind numerous instances of wars, terrorism, global corruption, the funding of other terrorist networks and illicit arms dealing, and they've shown themselves to be a tremendous threat to not only our national security but to global security as well. As for Diaz himself, and while this is circumstantial evidence at best, I have reason to believe that he may be a member of the Ninth Circle and not just due to his association with Dante but also the support he's been receiving from a terrorist operative and very high ranking member named Virgil.

"Due to all of this, Diaz has shown himself to be a threat to National Security due to his association with terrorists, possible membership with a terrorist organization, and the possibility that his control over Star City could draw in the Ninth Circle and might allow them, directly or indirectly, to also take control. Because of this, and also pulling some strings and in addition to persuading the president of the severity of this situation, I've been given formal authorization to use this agency and all of its resources in a government sanctioned operation to move into the city and capture Diaz, dismantle his entire network and operations, and use any and all means necessary to achieve this."

Oliver listened to everything Lyla had shared with him and once she's finished, took a moment to absorb all of this. The Ninth Circle, Virgil, terrorism? If all of this was true and if Diaz was a member or even loosely connected to them, everything that had been happening was even bigger than he'd previously thought and to hear that his friend before him had been on top of all of this? At that moment he was filled with tremendous gratitude for all of her work and efforts to help him.

"Thank you so much for looking into all of this, the work you put into figuring out a way to help me and even before I came to ask for it, and for having my back, even when I'm unaware of it", Oliver said to her gratefully, smiling at her.

Lyla on her part returned his smile warmly.

"I'll always have your back Oliver, and the backs of your team and your allies", she reassured him. "And now let's get to work shall we?" The two of them then went ahead and did exactly that, strategizing their plan to remove Diaz and his forces from Star City. After having formulated everything, Oliver gathered his team together, including his wife Sara, and shared with them the joint operation they would be conducting with A.R.G.U.S to take back their city and that the president had blessed their operation, filling them all with excitement.

That evening, Team Arrow, led by Oliver, and multiple A.R.G.U.S operatives, led by Lyla, first stormed the SCPD department and apprehended all of the corrupt cops within and would later stormed the rest of the city and apprehended everyone throughout its institution that were on Diaz's payroll. The latter portion was achieved when Oliver engaged Diaz in a brutal one on one battle to the death during which he ripped the necklace around Diaz's neck which contained that info.

The battle itself took place on a rooftop and while they were both almost evenly matched and gave it all they got, Oliver ultimately won the fight and subdued Diaz, after which A.R.G.U.S agents surrounded the madman and placed him in custody, using shackles to bind him.

Following all of this, Quentin, who'd signed off on A.R.G.U.S's operation against Diaz, did not die by the hands of the latter and instead moved swiftly to maintain order within the city and steer it towards the right direction, working hard to restore people's faith in its institution due to level of corruption exposed. It was a difficult process but he would succeed in the end.

Diaz on his part was placed inside of a highly secure A.R.G.U.S cell indefinitely while Lyla would get to work on extracting from him the info she needed to bring down the Ninth Circle, a task which proved difficult since he was unwilling to talk until Oliver, Sara, and Nyssa, using methods learned from the League, got him to reveal all he knew. In addition, Oliver and Sara led a sanctioned task force consisting of both the team and A.R.G.U.S agents to destroy any leftovers of Diaz's network that were still around, which they did.

Once it was all said and done, Oliver, Sara, and William traveled to Hawaii for a long, relaxing, well deserved vacation while the team agreed to hold up the fort for them, everything having turned out all right for them in the end and for Oliver especially.

**A/N I personally understand why Oliver's deal with the F.B.I. had to happen since it set up S7, and I personally found the resulting first half to be excellent except for Felicity, and Dinah to an extent, being annoying. But if you look at this objectively, Oliver did not have to go to them for help. He could've done anything else, perhaps even requested Lyla's assistance, and she might've figured something out.**

**And while I have not done research into whether or not an agency other than the F.B.I. can take control of a city for emergency reasons or if that's only fictional, I decided to do so since it worked for my plan with this chapter.**

**I wasn't going to add Sara but then felt like adding Canarrow anyway, and Quentin lives here so that there can be someone to guide the city from the chaos Diaz caused.**

**As for Diaz, while I still suspect he might've been a Ninth Circle member or had some kind of major connection to them, I respect the opinions of those who disagree and also don't believe Diaz trained him.**

**Have a wonderful day.**


End file.
